What to do with unwanted Christmas gifts

We’ve all received Christmas gifts that we didn’t want. Indeed, one survey found that a quarter of people couldn’t name a single enjoyable gift they’d ever gotten.

If you were unlucky enough to receive unwanted gifts this Christmas, there are better options than chucking them in the bin or dumping them in a cupboard.

Sell your unwanted gifts online

Selling your stuff online has never been easier. You can sell almost anything on websites like Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

There are also tons of selling apps available, such as Poshmark and ThredUp, where whoever bought you the gift may be less likely to spot your ad.

Shoppers will be browsing for deals over the Boxing Day sales, and what you don’t want could be exactly what somebody else is looking for.

Up-cycle your gifts

This is particularly useful for specifically festive-style gifts.

If you have been bought some Christmassy-themed presents, they might seem useless now, but why not think of innovative ways in which to make them into some crafty decorations for next year?

Re-gift your gift and help others

If you’re not concerned about making a few extra bucks with your unwanted gifts, you could pass them on to friends who you know would appreciate them.

You can also help the less fortunate by giving the proceeds to charity, should you sell, or dropping the items off at your local op-shop.

This could be the perfect project if you have children.

Make a plan for next year

A recent ASIC report showed that more than one in six Australian consumers are struggling with credit card debt. And with a collective $11 billion spent on Christmas presents last year, many Aussies could be setting themselves up to fall into a bad credit trap. Just over Christmas gifts.

If you find that the gifts given to you by your loved ones are consistently not to your taste, why not save them the cash and ask them to not buy you gifts next year? If they insist, ask for charitable donations instead of gifts.

Karma is a beautiful thing.

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